Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title:  Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publication date: September 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

From Goodreads:
Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

 By the time I reached page 82, I’ve already fallen in love with Levi. (well, that was quick)

If you’ve read any book by Rainbow Rowell, you are instantly my best friend. It seems that she has a special book recipe which is absolutely delectable! The combination of awesome writing + relatable characters + swoonworthy hero is simply explosive. I wonder where I can order my own hero from Rainbow Rowell’s books. *wink wink*

Fangirl is a story about Cath, a freshman in college who is anxious about starting in a new place with new set of people and rules. Cath doesn’t enjoy new situations, and she has hard time adapting at first. Especially since her twin sister, Wren, has thought that it’s best for them to separate sometimes. Lonely and unmotivated, Cath dedicates her days and nights to writing fanfic about her favorite series, Simon Snow. Cath’s fanfic, Carry On, Simonis immensely popular to the point that it gets thousand of hits every day. Cath thinks she can live on her fanfic, not caring about her study or trying to make any friends in university, but well, maybe it’s not so bad to actually let her roommate’s-probably-boyfriend-probably-not invades her space sometimes. And maybe, just maybe, it won’t be so bad not to spend the night writing fanfic. But is Cath actually ready for change?

Aww, Cath. Before I started reading this book, I read reviews and saw lines raving about how Cath is dangerously relatable. And well, she really is! She is not a perfect heroine and that is perfectly awesome ♥. Cath, with her insecurity, her uneasiness with large crowd, and her tendency to pretend that problem doesn’t exist is just very mundane. It’s her way of protecting herself from pain and threats from other people. It’s so easy to identify yourself with her – she’s that real.

Story development I really appreciate from Eleanor and Park to Fangirling is the stronger parts for supporting casts in this book. Reagan – you go girl! I love Reagan’s bluntness and how she is harshly caring. That sound exactly contradictory, yes, but that’s Reagan, Cath’s roommate, for you. And those who know me well enough must have guessed correctly who stole my heart: Levi. Levi, the Reagan’s-probably-boyfriend-probably-not, is so sweet and enthusiastic that you can’t help but love him.

“I think there’s a baby in the corner you forgot to kiss,” Cath said to him.

“Where’s a baby?” His eyes perked up.

All in all, I enjoyed Fangirl immensely. It is a wonderful book with lots of stories inside. Even more stories than you can get from a series. The Simon Snow snippets are really entertaining as well. They make kind of wish that there was actually a Simon Snow series. Remember to send me a note when you’ve finished reading this book, okay? Then we can hang out for your preferred drink and discuss which one we love more – Park from Eleanor and Park or Levi from Fangirl. ;)

“Deviant.” He raised an eyebrow. Levi’s eyebrows were much darker than his hair. Too dark, really. And arched. Like he’d drawn them on.

Cath felt herself smile, even though she was trying to hold her lips and face still. She shook her head, then looked down at her food and took a big bite.

Levi scraped more eggs and hash onto her plate.
 

4 cups of tea!

 I love the writing and how real this book seems to me. Wonderful read!

 

A quick note!

soo nerrvouusss about this post AAAAHHH

Hello! Do you guys remember me?

Don't worry, I won't bite you if you answer no. I'm such a baaaaad blogger. *crying in the corner*
This is just a quick note to assure you that I'm still living and breathing and okay and I want you guys to know that I wish I could go back to blogosphere ASAP.

Um, so I haven't posted anything in like three months. WHERE ARE YOU HILDAAA. Well, I have some legit reasons and not-so-legit ones.

I found out that I was sick in the beginning of July and had to perform a minor surgery in the end of the month. It was only a minor surgery, so don't worry! However, the sickness prevented me from doing some activities like blogging. There are some food I'm not allowed to eat yet and I still have to take my tonic every day, but I'm living my normal life now. I guess I pushed myself too hard last semester, so I'm just trying to enjoy life and take things easily now. :D

I hope I can post my reviews, comment on your FREAKINTASTIC blogs, and generally come back to this lovely book community as soon as my schedule let me! Things are becoming pretty hectic, with me in my fifth semester in university and the organizations I joined. I don't want to run my blog half-heartedly so I'll come back when I can fully commit to this blog. I hope you guys will still be around when I'm back. :)

Please don't pitch me with forks when I show up around blogosphere. I love you guys and I SO CAN'T WAIT to be back.

Take care xx,

Hilda

Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Publication Date: December 2006 
Publisher: Speak
Goodreads  

From Goodreads:
Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

3.5 stars

"I go to seek a Great Perhaps."

Miles “Pudge” Halter is obsessed with people’s last words. In search of “A Great Perhaps”, Miles transferred to Culver Creek, a boarding school in Alabama. In Culver Creek, he soon becomes friends with a number of people from different backgrounds. There are the Colonel, Miles’s roommate who is very smart and loves to play prank; Takumi, a Japanese guy whom Miles is not really friends with until after; Lara, a beautiful Romanian girl whom Miles has his first sexual experience with; and finally Alaska, a free soul whom no one in Culver Creek really understands.

Soon enough, Miles’ life is filled with piled assignments, prank planning, and new habits like smoking and drinking. It doesn’t take long for Miles to fall for Alaska. The smart, beautiful, sharp-tongued, self-destructive Alaska. But Alaska plays games, and there are so many layers covering her true feeling. And after, nothing will ever be the same.

Reading Looking for Alaska, I was quite baffled by how different it is from my first John Green’s book The Fault in Our Stars. Both books are amazingly written and filled with brilliant conversations, yet the two books have their own charms that will appeal to very different kind of readers. I might have enjoyed TFiOS more, but Looking for Alaska with its fabulous characters, the thought-provoking questions, and the witty humor it brings also holds a special place in my heart.

Looking for Alaska brings up tastefully some heavy issues that made me stop and think for a moment. The complexity of the characters blew me away. As much as my divergence with some characters’ behavior, I couldn’t bring myself to dislike any of them. This book is an either love/hate book, and I’m glad (and so relieved) to say that I liked this book. Thought-provoking and brilliantly written, Looking for Alaska may end up as your next favorite book.

"Sometimes I don't get you," I said.

She didn't even glance at me. She just smiled toward the television and said, "You never get me. That's the whole point."

 3. 5 cups of tea!

An engaging story with gorgeous writing. 

 

Review: Easy by Tamara Webber

Title: Easy
Author: Tamara Webber
Publication Date: May 2012 (ebook edition)
Publisher: Berkley Trade, Penguin USA
Goodreads

From Goodreads:
Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

I told myself, this isn’t happening. My boyfriend of three years was not breaking up with me so he could bang coeds with shameless abandon.

Imagine your boyfriend want to break up with you just because he wants to do other girls while he’s young. What a [insert your favorite swearing here to call him]. That’s exactly what happened to Jacqueline. Her high school sweetheart and member of the popular crowd, Kennedy, broke up with her for the exact reason and now Jacqueline is nothing but a miserable wretch in her college.

Jacqueline doesn’t even want to go to this college – she just followed Kennedy when she applied here. Now she’s miserable, her grades are falling, and she has no friend outside of her Kennedy circle. Until her professor told her to do some tutoring with her assistant, Landon, and although the tutoring sessions are only held online, Jacqueline’s grades do improve. She also has some kind of friendship with Landon, although she has never met him in person.

Another guy attracts her attention – Lucas, the guy with bad boy looks that saved her earlier. Lucas, with his piercing gaze and mysterious attitude, perks Jacqueline’s interest. But Jacqueline doesn’t know, that Lucas and Landon might have the same secret, the secret they’ve been trying to keep from her…

Since characters are always my favorite aspect in a book, I will start with the characters in this book (whom I’m truly, wholly in love with). Jacqueline, high-five, girl! I’m so, so proud of her in the end. Jacqueline started off as a sad and miserable heroine, but she ended up becoming a heroine to look up to. She’s smart, she’s level-headed, and the most important, she knows what to believe and what choices to make. Her character development is very realistic, and it’s nice to have a heroine who doesn’t let romance interrupts with her dreams. Even after she finally has the happy ending she truly deserves.

Landon! Oh my gosh, there’s just something special with the guy who can bring smile to your face with his texts only, right? I love his witty replies, the way he teases Jacqueline, and his smart humor. I sure can’t blame Jacqueline for getting attracted to a guy whom she hasn’t ever met. And awwwww, Lucas. He might be the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. He asks permissions for everything, and he would never force you to do anything you don’t want to. Plus, he’s an artist! Lucas seems like bad boy you usually meet, but actually there are many things going beyond the surface. I assure you, there’s nothing like typical love triangle in this book.

I love this book so much, and I really wish that more people would read it. Even if you didn’t just endure a nasty breakup like Jacqueline, this book is a must-read. It’s smokin’ hot, it’s sweet, and it’s smile-inducing…. it’s Easy.

As for being somewhere you’re not supposed to be – maybe you’re here for a reason, or there is no reason. As a scientist, I lean toward the latter. Either way, you’re off the hook. You made a decision; now you make the best of it. That’s all you can do, right? On that note, I’m off to study for a statistical mechanics quiz. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to prove scientifically that your ex isn’t worthy of you, and you’re exactly where you should be.

LM

4 cups of tea!

This is such a lovely book! I still have a smile in my face when I remember this. :)